DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate issued the following statement today regarding a judge's ruling on a portion of the Election Modernization and Integrity Act:

"Judge Romano's decision puts the integrity and security of Iowa’s elections at risk, by making it easier to cheat. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that County Auditors obtain information missing from an absentee ballot request form from the source: the requesting voter.

The administrative rule formally adopted the definition of “best means available” that has been used by both Democratic and Republican Secretaries of State. This procedure is crucial to the integrity and security of Iowa’s elections because it ensures that absentee ballots are sent at the direction of the voter, and no one else.

The people of Iowa have repeatedly shown they overwhelmingly support Voter ID and their elected representatives enacted a law that makes it easy to vote, but hard to cheat. As a result of the judge's decision, absentee voters will no longer be required to provide proof of identity.

I intend to appeal Judge Romano's decision to the Iowa Supreme Court." Paul Pate, Iowa Secretary of State

###